Cost-effectiveness of abiraterone treatment in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer who previously received docetaxel therapy

Background. Therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a serious problem that requires significant public health care expenditures.

Objective: to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of abiraterone treatment in patients with metastatic CRPC who previously received docetaxel under the conditions of the budgetary public health system of the Russian Federation.

Material and methods. Markovian simulation based on the COU-AA-301 randomized placebo-controlled Phase III study was used. Survival analysis was made in 70-year-old patients. The cost of abiraterone therapy corresponded to that of the 2013 auctions.

Results. Abiraterone therapy in patients who have previously received docetaxel therapy causes an increase in average life expectancy by an average of 4.6 months and progression-free survival by 2.0 months. Moreover, the cost calculated with reference to one year of additional life will account for about 3.6 million rubles and that to one additional quality-adjusted life year will be about 5.45 million rubles.

Conclusion. The cost-effectiveness of abiraterone therapy for metastatic CRPC in patients who have previously received docetaxel therapy is similar to that of other medicaments used in oncological practice under the conditions of the budgetary public health system of the Russian Federation. In this connection, abiraterone may be considered as an economically acceptable medical intervention in this clinical situation.